Pneumatic tire.



50 necting the casing with the rim, of the wheel UNTTED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES Mediums, on JoHiismowN, rnNNsLvANm.

PNEUMATIG TIRE.

` Specification of Iietters Patent.

To. all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JAMES MGGINNIsga citizen of the United States, residing at" Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer- `tain'nevv' and useful Improvements in Ineumatic Tires, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to im. proveniente in that type of resilientv tires of composite structure, shown 'and described in 'my previous application, Serial Number 448,395, filed August 13, 1908.

It has long been a ofA making hollow rubber tires for automobiles and similar vehicles, to 'provide an article of this'class in which the liabilityof puncture is minimizedas much as possible and which, in the event of puncture, will afford advantages fromthe standpoint of quick repair, etc.

Inmy previous application, I described a 'tireembodying an outer casing and a plu-` rality of f separate interior air chambers formed by inflated elements such as, balls. By exhaustive experiments, I have ascertained that, in the use of la tire ofthe type above .referred-to, one of the chief difliculties preventing the employment of the arwith the.. above features, however,

ofthe tire bodily on.

, the tire is probably ticle for commercial purposes, resides in the fact that the inflated elements are ruptured by reason of relative movement of their casing or inclosing tube relative to the rim of the wheel to which the tire is applied. The rupturinug4 `of the inflated elements of caused to a certain degree also by the tendency thereof to move relative to thecasing itself-by which they are surrounded.'

It has thereforelbeen my object inthe completion, of the present invention to aflford a construction of tire eliminating defects of principle, such as above described, my present invention utilizing the mainV Afeatures involvin theouter casing and in; flated balls o'r e ementsV for holding said casing .expanded and giving th',V necessary resiliency to the tire as a whole. A Combined I have employedspecial anchoring means for coninnsuchamanner as to reinforce the continuous/connection between the rim and the vinnermost annular portion of the casing, thus eliminating 'all' possibility of slippingV desideratum in the art the rim and fracture Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Application filed October 11, 1911. Serial No. 654,052.

or rupture ofthe inflated elements. 'Ihe i anchoring means proposed abovegperforms the function referredto and the additional function of a resistance or stop means to prevent liability whole arrangement being especially advanof shifting yof the inated elements relativelyto the tire casing., the,

tageous in that a practicalvcommercial tire is produced thereby.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to be had' to the'fol-v A lowing description and.. to the accompanying. drawings, in which- Figure lis a vert-icalv sectional present invention. Fig. 2 tional viewtaken about on Fig. 1.' Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken about on the line B-Spf' Fig. 1, the inflated ball removed. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view insection showing more clearly the transview of atire embodying the essential features oftheis a cross secthe line 2-2 of verse webs.' Fig. 53s a detail section on the `line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

-Throughout the tion and on the several figures of the drawfollowing detail descrip;

ings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 denotesV the casing or` tube of the tire, the same being preferably made of rubber or combination rubber and fabric,

and molded or otherwise .formed, in manfacture,"finteriorly with a plurality o f transverse webs 2 which separate the hollow portion ofthe casing' 1 into a plurality of compartments in which are mounted the vinflated elements 3 which preferably. com cal members. t its inner or base portion, the vcasing 1 is split annularly so as to facilitate separation of the sides of the casing in the opeiatim of introducing intothe 'same the inflated elements 3,` and slots 2 extend inwardly from the lower edges of thewebs 2te permit spreading of portions on op` posite sides thereof for the saine purpose. base portions' of designated'la are,V

Furthermore,- the spaced the 'casing 1', which are a formed with the annular projections' or flanges 4,'1which are'engaged by the clamping flanges 5 on the rim 6,' the latter being made in' two sections, each of which has one vof the flanges 5.

The sections of the rim 6 are. connected together by bolts 7 or other fastening'means whicherally constitute tension devices for drawingthe sections?) .together and in this rise'balls or hollow spheri- .1 lents 3 with integral projections 9 of a diameter equal tovor larger than the diameter of theA inflated elements 3, said projections 9 abutting with the rim 6 and being firmly attached tothe rim by the anchoring devices l0 which consist of bolts or similar members, the body portions of whicharev embedded or incorporated in the projection 9 and webs 2 when the casing 1- is molde or formed in manufacture. The anchoring devices 10 project through the rim 6 between the sections of the latter andare firmly attached -to the rim and felly 8 v'by the provision of suitable nuts 11.

The projections 9 above described afford in connection with the members 10 anchorn ing means positively preventing liability of shifting or slipping of the tire on ,the rim, by whichaction I have found th'ht the balls or inflated elements 3 become twisted, distorted, or otherwise moved in a way that causes fracture of said-balls,which yfracture necessarily renders the tire defective.

The advantages in employing the inflated elements 3, according to4 the construction above set forth, reside particularly in the fact that eventhough one of these elements becomes punct-ured in the use of the tire, the

j Whole tire is-not iiattened or deflated, but

the casing will be maintained expanded by the unpunctured elements 3. Furthermore, on puncture of one of the/elements 3, it may be readily removed and a newl inflated member substituted therefor, under which con#r ditions the life of the tire 'is prolonged at a comparatively'small expense for up-keep.

Vhere. the sectional rim 6 is employed to avoid liability of movement of the tire thereon, the anchoring devices 10 may be squared at points intermediate their ends, as shown at l2, the sections of the rim 6 engaging the squared portion. The interlocking engagement of the rim 6 with the members 10, as above described, also prevents liability of rotation of the anchoring devices lO in the projections 9, whereby looseness of the connection between said parts would be created disadvantageously to effective attachment of the casing l with respect to'the wheel.

Having thus described the invention, what.

is claimed as new is:

In combination with a wheel embodying a suitable rim, a continuous tire applied to said wheel and comprising an irregular hollow casing, the hollow portion being formed vby a plurality of transverse webs providing chambers and having the base portion thereof split 4annularly, iniated elements arranged in said chambers and adapted to be introduced into the casing by spreading the split parts of the base aforesaid, certain of said webs being `provided at'intervals between series of the chambers with projections seating on lthe rim, and anchoring means connecting said certain Webs with the rim, whereby slipping of the casing on the rim and fracture of the inflated element is prevented.

In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES MCGINNIS.

Vitnesses: l

PnRoY ALLEN Ross, SARA S'rnoUr.,

Copies o! this pgtent'may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner f Patents,

` Washington, D. C." 

